As with almost everything, tea also comes in countless numbers of qualities and variations depending on where the tea was grown and when it was harvested. And, of course, with how much care and knowledge the leaves were cultivated, harvested, and processed.
The tea industry is very diverse, and there does not exist a single quality system that every country and region follows. This Weekly Elevenses will be about the tea quality I think is even higher, more sustainable, and often more flavorful and potent than the category called specialty teas.
So first, how can we define specialty teas? Specialty teas are harvested and produced with lots of care, in small batches, giving them a unique appearance and flavor. This is how one person defines specialty teas: “Beyond conventional, attention to detail, effort with the highest quality of raw material” – Charmara from Sri Lanka, respected senior tea broker.
Here you can read an in-depth and interesting article by the Australian Teamasters, about specialty teas. You will come to realize how diverse and vast this subject is!
What we understand from the above is that specialty teas are all great teas that are well worth spending your money on. Explore them and find out which your favorites are! You will be able to purchase them from suppliers located close to the tea plantations/manufacturers or from smaller online specialty tea suppliers. Do not look for these teas in your supermarket! And depending on where you live, you might not even find them in your nearby tea shop.
So why do I believe that there might be a quality level that is higher than specialty teas? Well, what I have in mind are teas that are allowed to thrive in a biodiverse environment. The tea bushes grow into trees; they are wild, free, and old with deep roots. These tea trees grow in locations that can be hard to find, and the leaves are difficult to harvest. The ones I talk about are to be found in the Yunnan Province of China. Old tea trees can be found in some other locations in the world as well.
These teas are harvested and produced by genuine tea artisans who are the bearers of the knowledge, care, and intuition necessary for this production, which is a handicraft, and an art form. After years of inherited knowledge, practice, and training, you get the feel for the leaves, the soil, the seasonal shifts, and you become an important part of an ancient process of crafting artisan teas of the highest quality and beauty.
This is the promise of Wild Tea Qi:
Sustainable, Wild, Ancient Tea Tree Teas, High Grown in a Biodiverse Environment
This is Wild Tea Qi's mission. Their teas are never from monoculture, mass-production tea farms. Each tea farm and plantation is visited to ensure that the teas are from wild or ancient tea trees, grown in a biodiverse and sustainable way, in harmony with the surrounding environment.
Supporting the Last True Tea Artisans!
To authentic tea artisans, tea is a form of art, a way of life for centuries. Wild Tea Qi supports small, local farmers and tea artisans to prevent them from being taken over by large, corporate tea organizations. This support ensures fair-traded tea and supports the local farmers’ livelihoods. Wild Tea Qi wants long-term, personal relationships with the farmers and tea artisans.
No Middlemen
When you purchase Wild Tea Qi teas, you automatically reduce middlemen. You get teas strictly and only from the original source.
Artisan Handpicked and Processed
All Wild Tea Qi teas are expertly handpicked and processed carefully by hand using tea-making traditions passed down through generations.
Single Origin Teas
Wild Tea Qi never blends teas from different farms or plantations, or different quality levels. This ensures tea of the finest quality.
Always Quality over Quantity
Wild Tea Qi only offers what they feel are the finest quality teas that meet their strict criteria and standards. They are not interested in selling large volumes; instead, the focus is simply on the best teas that they can find, which match the strict criteria.
So by now I hope you are tempted to order some truly amazing teas? The Wild Tea Qi teas are very potent, you will feel their power / qi when you steep them correctly. They are always delivered with steeping recommendations and all orders from USD 100 and up are delivered free of shipping costs to most countries on the planet. The link below will give you a 10 % discount in the web shop! Welcome! Use the code TEA.MASTER.S
Do you want to learn more about tea? Shana Zhang, the founder of Wild Tea Qi and International Tea Academy is my Teacher and I am proud to be one of few ITA official instructors. As such I offer one Tea Sommelier Diploma Course, Level I each year. The next course will start early fall 2025. Here you can read more about the next course!
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